LANDSCAPE STORIES
Intrigued by the song "ORKNEY ANTHEM" by T S Peace, and recorded by Orcadian Ivan Dreever, I looked for its themes in the Orkney landscape. Very soon the scenes themselves took over the story.
(Click on the image for a larger view)
MARWICK HEAD
Kitchener Memorial: In 1916 Lord Kitchener's ship was sunk at the foot of these cliffs, in a gale or by a German mine. It was rumoured to be carrying a cargo of gold bullion for the Tzar of Russia. Only 12 men survived, not Lord Kitchener. Kitchener's body was never found, nor was the gold bullion. The Memorial was built by the people of Orkney.
ACRYLIC on CANVAS
Framed, 50 cm x 40 cm
ACRYLIC on CANVAS
Framed, 50 cm x 40 cm
YESNABY ROCKS
Yesnaby today is a tourist destination for Orkney visitors. Around 1970 it was a magnetic for a young geologist looking for fossil-bearing rocks, the kind in which oil might be found. And has now been found.
ACRYLIC on CANVAS
Framed, 50 cm x 40 cm
ACRYLIC on CANVAS
Framed, 50 cm x 40 cm
THE ANCIENT KIRK
St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall is a wonderful relic of the Viking Earls of Orkney, and a repository of Orcadian history. Looking for the view through the arches of the prehistoric Earl's Palace, we came upon these pipers tuning up for their Saturday night parade through the city.
ACRYLIC on CANVAS
Framed, 50 cm x 40 cm
ACRYLIC on CANVAS
Framed, 50 cm x 40 cm
STANDING STONES at BELTANE
As the Orkney storyteller said "Even in daylight the stones have something uncanny about them." Dating back to around 3000 BC they are suffused with myth and superstition and the Pagan rituals of Beltane can well be imagined and occasionally enacted.
ACRYLIC on CANVAS
Framed, 50 cm x 40 cm
ACRYLIC on CANVAS
Framed, 50 cm x 40 cm
All images © Lorraine Fannin. Images may not be copied or reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder